Abu Dhabi: The Federal Geographic Information Center (FGIC) has launched the National Geospatial Features Catalogue. It will help in the creation of a strategic data guide to facilitate the exchange of geographic information at the national level between government entities and the private sector.
The National Geospatial Features Catalogue is one of the transformational projects within the performance agreements for federal government entities for 2022, which were signed in the presence of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai.
Performance agreements represent special projects that will help usher the UAE into the future and enhance its competitiveness. Meanwhile, transformational projects, are characterized by their ability to achieve significant impact across all sectors within short periods, ensuring the application of the new government work methodology for the UAE Government.
The National Catalogue seeks to provide the authorities with a unified national model for geographical information for all entities operating in the sector, through which the exchange and integration of geographical information at the national level are facilitated, and unified codes are provided for all geographical features in the UAE. This is achieved through a spatial database of geographical information related to more than 260 geographical features.
The Catalogue provides a reference for the exchange of geospatial information related to geospatial features and a guide for the technical specifications of this type of information that would support all government entities at a national level through the integration of data for modern applications such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and augmented reality. The National Geospatial Features Catalogue will also allow for the reuse of geospatial information to save effort and time and reduce costs for the government.
This transformational project supports the directives of the Center’s strategic plan for unifying standards and specifications for the geospatial data sector in the UAE, in cooperation with the relevant local and private stakeholders. It will also contribute to supporting the UAE’s regional and global efforts to enhance its competitiveness indicators and readiness in the field of geospatial information.